Recuperative coking retort oven



y 1930- J. VAN ACKEREN 1,758,544

RECUPERATIVE COK ING RETORT OVEN Filed Sept. 29, 1921 5 Sheets-Sheet l y 19130- J. VAN ACKEREN 1,758,544

RECUPERA'IIVE COKING RETOR'I OVEN Filed Sept 29 1921 3 Sheets-Shet 2 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 J. VAN ACKEREN Filed Sept. 29 l92l RECUPERATIVE COKING RETORT OVEN 1/ v 0 JR N May 13, 1930.

' bodying features Patented May" lg, 1936 entree stares waste PATENT QFFECE JOSEPHvAN ACKEREN, or PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, asisrenon TO THE. KQPPES COMPANY, or rrrrsnonen, I'ENNSYLVANIA, A conrona'rron or PENNSYLVANIA BECUIPERATIVE COKING RETORT OVEN Application. filed September 29, 1921. Serial No. 504,143..

This invention comprehends improvements of especial utility in the coking retort oven art. The'inverition has for an object to employ the gas oven principle in a coking retort oven having recuperators communicably connected with the heating walls, thereby providing a recuperative coking retort oven,

in which the ,heat for coking the charges ofcoal in the retorts or coking chambers may be developed from the combustion of a preheated extraneously derived special generator gas, such asproducer gas or blast furnace gas, with a resultant conservation of the entire product of the relativel richer coke oven' gas derived from the car onization of the coal charged into the retorts of the oven.

Another important characteristic of the invention is to permit the employment of the before mentioned gas oven principle in a recuperative coking retort oven having the combination oven features, whereby the oven may be optionally operated with the employment of the extraneously derived special generator gas as the fuel, or alternatively with the employment of coke oven gas burned in an atmosphere of ordinary preheated air or in an atmosphere containing both air and a neutral' gaseous diluent, the latter having the function of lengthening the flames in the'heating walls, so as to.check flame concentration in the region of the fuel gas inlets.

In addition to. the general objects recited above, the invention has for further objects such other improvements and advantages in construction or operationas may-be found to obtain in the structures anddevices hereinafter described or claimed.

In the accompan 'ng drawings, formin a part of this speci cation and showing, or purposes of exemplification, a-preferred form and manner in which the invention may be embodied and practiced, but without limiting the claimed invention to such illustrative instance or instances:

Figure 1 is a crosswise vertical sectional elevation through a coke oven battery cmabove specified and equipped withthe improvements of the present invention, the view being taken longitudinally through a heating wall and the cominunicably connected recuperators, in planes indicated by the lines B-B and C0 of 1g. 2' -Fig. 2 is. a composite vertical sectional elevation and face view taken longitudinally of the coke oven battery, the sectional portion of the figure being on the plane indicated by the line AA of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section taken in a plane indicated by the line G-G of Fig. 2;

and,

Fig. 4 is a composite horizontalsection of a heating wall taken in the planes indicated by the lines DD and EE of Figs. 1 and 2.

The same characters of reference designate the same parts in each of the several views of the drawings.

In the embodiment illustrated in the drawings, the invention is incorporated ina combination coke oven battery, i. e.-a battery having provision for being operated either with an extraneously derived special generator gas,'such as producer gas or blast furnace gas, or with the coke oven gas derived from the distillation of the coal in the coking chambers of the battery. For convenience,

the present description will be confined to v the present illustrated embodiment of the invention in such a combination coke oven battery; novel features and improvements made by the invention are susceptible of other applications, such, for example, the coke oven principle may-be employed in ordinary socalled gas ovens employing producer gas or blast furnace gas as the fuel; hence, the scope of the invention'is not confined to the specific use and specific embodiment herein described as an. illustrative example.

Referring to the drawings: there are illustrated views of a coke oven battery or plant of the by-product type, having features above specified; .said oven battery embodies "in its construction a plurality of crosswise elongated heating walls 11, 11, and a plurality of intermediate crosswise elongated coking chambers 12, 12. The heating walls 11 form the side walls of the respective coking chamhere 12, as shown more particularly in Fig. 2, and together with the coking chambers are supported by the heavy supporting walls the ovenbattery and positioned, as shown by dotted lines in Fig.2, directly above the retorts or ovens 12. These charging holes 14 are equipped with the usual removable covers', which are removed during charging ot the individual ovens or rotorts and are placed in position to close the tops of such retorts during the entire coking or distilling operation. The gases of distillation pass from the tops of the retort-s 12 through the usual gas outlets (not shown), and thence through ascension pipes (not shown) into the usual gas collecting main, which carries the distillation products to the by-product recovery appa ratus.

Heat for coking the charges of coal in the several ovens or retorts 12 is derived from the heating walls 11, which, as abovev mentioned, extend crosswise of the battery at the sides of the retorts. As shown, each heating wall 11 is, in accordance with the present embodiment of the invention, constituted of a plurality of vertical combustion flues 17 which extend in two series parallel with the longitudinal axis of the heating wall. Both series of flame fines of each heating wall, in accordance with the present embodiment of the invention, operate concurrently. as burning fines and combustion is maintained concurrently in all the fines of the heating walls of the battery, the flames burning downwardly =from top to bottom of the several flues, as will be hereinafter more fully explained.

The recuperators 19 of the retort oven or battery ,prreferably extend crosswise of the battery I our the opposite sides thereof inwardly to the central dividing partition 20, and are located at a lower level than the aforesaid heating walls 11 and coking chambers or retorts 12. Each recuperator unit 19 is'constituted of a plurality of so erposed horizontal exhaust passages 21, or the outflow of the products of combustion and waste gases from the heating walls above men:

tioned. The exhaust passages 21 of each recuperator preferably extend parallel with the crosswise axis of the battery and said exhaust passages of each individual recuperator unit are communicably connected together at their inner ends by means of a vertical channel '22. At their outer ends, the upper exhaust passages21 of each recuperator unit are communicably connected together by an upper vertical channel 23, and the lower exhaust passages by a lower vertical channel 24, the said upper vertical channel 23 being separated from the lower vertical channel 2 1 by means 10f a baffle 25, in order to force the waste gases which enter the upper vertical channel 23 to pass inwardly through the upper exhaust passages 21 to the inner vertical channel 22 and thence outwardly through the lower exhaust passages 21 to the lower exhaust channel 24. This construction insures complete circulation of the hot waste gases through the exhaust passages of each recuperator unit. The inflow passages 26 0f each recuperator unit 19 extend along three sides of the above mentioned exhaust passages 21, said inflow passages 26 beingconstituted of horizontal passageways 27 .communicably connected with verticalpassageways 28, to produce the tortuous inflow passages shown more particularly in 2. Asshown' in Fig. 1, the several inflow passages 26 of each recuperator unit 19 are individually separated from each other by means of bafiles 29 which divide the inflow through the recuperator into streams individual to the individual inflow passages.

The inflow through each recuperator unit is preheated by effecting a heat exchange between the waste gases from the heating walls, which waste gases flow through the exhaust passages of each recuperator unit. In ac cordance with the invention, the recuperator units 19 are disposed, taken seriatim longitudinally of the battery, in two groups P and A of recuperator units, the recuperator units of the group P alternating with the recuperator units 0 Located between the two parallel series of combustion flues 17 of each heating wall are two series 29 and 30 of vertical feed channels, the feed channels of the series 29 of each heating wall alternating with the feed channels of the series 30 of the same heating wall. Referring more particularly to Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the inflow passages 26 of each recuperator unit of the alternate series P are communi cably connected by means of two series of ducts 31 with two horizontal feed channels 32,

said feed channels being respectively located' each two adjacent heating walls 11 are respeetively communicably connected by ducts 35 with the horizontal feedchannels 34 of theadjacent recuperator unit 19 ofthe group A. The series of vertical feed channels 30 of each two adjacent heating walls are also communicably connected by ducts 36 with the the group A, as shown in Fig. 2.

horizontal feed channels 32 of the adjacent recuperator of the group P. With this construction each heating wall 11- is communicably connected by a series of feed channels with a pair of recuperator units, one of the group P and the other of the group A.

At their tops, the feed channels of the series 29 respectively open up into short horizontal channels 37, which respectively communicate by ports 38 with two flame flues 17,

one of each. of the two series.

The vertical feed channels of the series 30 also respectively open up into short horizontal channels 38' the latter each. communicating by annular ports 39 with one flame flue of each parallel series of a-heating wall.

The two adjacent series of flame flues 17 of each pair of adjacent heating walls respec tively communicate at their lower ends by outflow ducts40 with a commonoutflow passageway 41, the bottom of the latter prefer-. ably inclining downwardly from the inner longitudinal median plane of the battery toward the outerside thereon, as shown in Eig. 1. Each said outflow passageway 41 is communicably connected at its discharge end with the upper outer vertical channel 23 of the adjacent recuperator unit. With the above construction, the-lower ends of the two series of flame flues of the heating walls are communicably connected by outflow assageway and duct means with the out ow passages of the adjacent recuperator, units, as shown'in Fig. 2.

, Extending through the top 15 of the battery-{into the to sof the several flame flues 17 of each heating wall 11 are vertical gas supply ducts l2. These gas supply ducts are for the purpose of supplying coke oven gas to the several flame flues of each heating wall,

'whenthe battery is operating with coke oven gas'as the fuel. The supply of coke oven gas to the respective ducts 42 is derived from coke oven gas mains ofthe usual type located on the top of the battery. Suitable means is provided foradmitting or cuttingpfl' the supply of coke oven gas wlthrespect to the ducts 42, it beingunderstood that the coke oven 6 gas "supply may be cut off when the battery is operating with the extraneously derived gas, such as producer gas, as the fuel.

For operating the battery alternatively with the use of a special generator gas, such as producer gas orblast furnace gas as the ply of coke oven g: J to all of the coke oven 5 gas ducts 42 is cut off. A supply of producer cuperators to the flues.

gas is permitted to flow into the feed channels 43 of the gas recuperators P and passing through'the tortuous inflow passages 26 of such recuperators is preheated by the hot waste gases flowing out through the exhaust passages 21 before being-delivered into the horizontal feed channels 32 and vertical feed channels 30. F rom the tops of the vertical feed channels 30 the preheated fuel gas passes through the short channels 38 and ports 39 into the, flame flues of both series of each heating wall. During the inflow of fuel gas through such recuperators P, inflow of air is maintained through the air ports 45 and feed channels 46 of the recuperators of the group Passing {upwardly through the inflow passages 26 of the recuperators A the air is preheated by the outflowing waste gases in the exhaust passages 21 and the preheated air enters the feed channels34 and rising in the vertical feed channels 29 passes through the short channels 37 and enters the tops of the several flame flues 17 through the ports 38. The flames burn downwardly in the flues 17-and the exhaust gases pass out ofsaid ,flues from their bottoms through the ducts .40 and into'the passages 41 which convey the waste products into the outer vertical chan-' nels 23 of the several recuperators. From said channels 23, the waste products pass through the upper exhaust passages 21 inwardly to the inner vertical channels 22 and then circulate through the lower passages 21 to the lower outer vertical channels 24 of the recuperators, from which channels 24 the waste gases discharge through. ports 47 to a suitable'waste gas tunnel. i

In operating the battery with coke oven gas, the supply of extraneously derived gas to the recuperatorsof the group P is shut off and .air is permitted to flow into such recuperators in place ofthe fuel gas. Duringcoke oven gas operation a supply of coke oven gas is maintained in the ducts .42 which feed the burning flues. 1

Alternatively, during such coke oven gasoperation, some of the recuperators, such as the recuperator P, may beempl-oyed' for conveying to the flues a neutral gaseous diluent, I

such as return waste gas, to lengthen the. flames in the flues, for the purpose of preventing fiame concentration in the upper re gions of the battery. The recuperators P maybe employed entirely for the preheating of return waste gas or return waste gas may be mixed with air and fed through the re- The inventionas' hereinabove set forth "is embodied in a particular "form of construction but may be variously embodied: within the scope of the claims hereinafter made.

I claim: 1

1. In a coking retort oven,in combi nation:

a plurality of coking chambers; heating walls contiguous to such coking chambers and respectively comprising two series of vertical combustion flues of which the fines of each series are contiguous to each other; recuperator units, having inflow and outflow passages, disposed at a lower level than the aforesaid coking chambers and heating walls, said recuperator units being disposed'into two series, the recuperator, units of one series alternating with the recuperator units of the other; duct means communicably connecting the inflow passages of recuperator unitsof both series with the tops of both series of combustion flues of each heating wall; duct means cominunicably connecting the bottoms of both series of combustion flues with the outflow passages of such recuperator units; and separate fuel gas connections also communicably connected with the tops of both series of such combustion vflues; substantially as specified.

2. In a coking retort oven, in combination: a plurality of coking chambers; heating walls contiguous to such coking chambers and'respectively comprising two series of ve-r-- tical' combustion flues of which the flues of 'each series are'contig'uous to each other; re-

cuperator units, having inflow and outflow passages, disposed at a lower level than the aforesaid coking chambers and heating walls, said recuperator-units being disposed into two groups; duct means communicably connecting the inflow passages of r'ecuperator units of both groups with the tops of both contiguous to such coking'chambers and respective'ly comprising two series of combustion lines of whichthe fiues of each series are contiguous to each other; recuperator units,

having inflow and outflow passages, disposed at a lower, levelthan the aforesaid coking chambers and heating walls, said recuperator units being disposed. into two groups; duct means communicably connectin the inflow passages of recuperator units of 0th groups with both series of combustion flues of each heating wall; duct means communicably con- ,necting both series of combustion flues' with the outflow passages of suchrecuperator units; andseparate fuel gas connections also communicably connected with both series of such combustion flues' substantiall ass eci- I 1 P 1- coking chambers, heating walls contiguousto 125 4-. lnarecuperative cokm retort oven hav a-plurality of coking chain ers andheating walls contiguous to? such coking chambers, said walls respectively comprising conti concurrently operable flame flues, com ined with the improvements characterized by recuperators disposed into two groups, one recuperator of each group being communicably connected with one end of the lines of a single heating wall, whereby air\and an extraneously derived fuel gas may be conveyed to the fines of each heating wall; duct means communicably connecting the other end of the aforesaid flues of said single heating wall with the recuperators; and separate fuel gas connections also leading to said one end of the flues of said heating walls, for conveying thereto an alternative fuel gas; substantially as specified.

5. In a recuperative coking retort oven having a plurality of coking chambers and heating walls contiguous to such coking chambers, said walls respectively comprising contiguous concurrently operable flame flues, combined with the improvements characterized by recuperators disposed into two groups, one recup'erator of each group being communicably connected with one end of the flues of a single heating wall, whereby air and an extraneously derived fuel gas may be conveyed to the fines of each heating wall; and duct means communicably connecting the other end of the aforesaid flues of said single heating wall with the recuperators; substantially as specified. 9

6. In a recuperative cashing retort oven having a plurality of coking? chambers, and heating walls contiguous to such coking chambers, said walls respectively. comprising contiguous concurrently operableflame fines, com bined with the-improvements characterized by recuperator units disposed in two groups with one recuperator unit of each group communicably connected with the flues ofa single heating wall, whereby said recuperator units 9 may bejointly employed for conveying to said flues air or separately employed for conveying thereto air and another gas, and outflowduct means also communicably connecting the fines of each heating wall With'said re cuperators; substantially as specified.

7. In'a. coking retort battery having a -plurality of coking chambersan'd heating walls contiguous to such coking, chambers, said walls respectively comprising contiguous concurrently operable flame fines, combined with the improvement characterized by two individual recuperator' 'units communicablyf connected with the'flues of each heating wall,

whereby air and another gas may be individually fed bysuch recuperator units to said heating walls; substantially as specified.

8. A recuperative coke oven provided with ing their in ow passages communicating with 130 concurrently-operable with coking chambers, heating walls contiguous to such coking chambers, said walls respectively comprislng contiguous concur- ,rently operable flame flues, and fuel gas and air recuperators arranged below and both communicably. connected with the fines of each heating wall for supplying thereto the gas and air required for combustion in said heating Wall; substantially as specified.

10. In a recuperative coking retort oven, in combination: a plurality of coking chambers, heating walls contiguous to such coking chambers, said walls respectively comprising con tiguous concurrently operable flame flues, combined with individual recuperator units which are respectively communicably connected in pairs with the fiues of the heating walls, the recuperator units of such pairs be ing separately operable for conveying to the said heating walls air and another gas; substantially as specified.

11. In a coking retort oven having a plurality of coking chambers and heating Walls contiguous to such coking chambers, said walls respectively bompris'ing contiguous concurrently operable flame fluesfcombined with the improvement characterized by recuperator units which are respectively communicably connected in pairs with the flues of said heat ing walls, the recuperator units of each pair being jointly operable for conveying air to the heating walls or separately operable for conveying to the said heating Walls air or an extraneously derived gas, and means for supplying, at will, to said heating walls an alternative fuel gas, such as coke oven gas; substantially as specified. i 12, In a coking retort oven having a plurality of coking chambers and heating walls contiguous to such coking chambers, said walls respectively comprising contiguous concurrently operable flame flues, combined with the improvement characterized by recuperator units which are respectively communicably connected in pairs with the flues of said heating Walls, the recuperator units of each pair being jointly operable for conveying air to the heating walls or separately operable for conveying to the said heating walls air or an extraneously derived gas; substantially as specified;

13: "In a coking retort oven, in combination: a. coking chamber; a heating wall contiguous to said coking chamber and comrising contiguous concurrently operable flame flues; preheaters for preheating air and other gas by a heat exchange between waste gas from said flame flues and said air and said other gas while said waste gas is flowing countercurrent to the flow -of said alr and said other gas; duct means communicably connecting said preheaters with one end of the flues of the heating wall; and means for removing the products of combustion from the other end of said flues; substantial- 1y as specified.

14. In a coking retort oven, in combination: parallel coking chambers; heating walls between said coking chambers and respectively having their interiors flued for-passage of combustion gases in a generally vertical direction from their upper portions to their lower portions; recuperator units, having inflow passages and outflow passages, below the coking chambers and heating walls; said recuperator units being respectively communicably connected in groups with the flue spaces for passage of combustion gases in said heating walls by duct means connecting the inflow passages of said groups with the said flue spaces at the upper portions of said heating walls and by duct means connectin the outflow passages of said groups with sai flue spacesat the lower portions of said heating walls; the recuperator units of each of u said groups being jointly operable for conveying air to the said flue spaces in said heating walls or separately operable for conveying tothe said flue spaces in the heating walls air or another gas; and means for supplying, at will, to said flue spaces in said heating walls, at the upper portions of said heating walls, an unpreheated combustible gas; substantially as specified.

15. In a coking-retort oven, in combination parallel coking chambers; heating walls between said coking chambers and respectively having their interiors flued for passage of combustion gases in a generally ver tical direction from their upper portions to.

their lower portions; recuperator units, having inflow passages and outflow passages, below the coking chambers and heating walls; said recuperator units being respectively communicably connected in groups withthe flue spaces for passage of combustion gases in said heating walls by duct means connecting the inflow passages of said groups with the said flue spaces atthe upper portions of said heating walls and by duct means connecting the outflow passages of said groups with said flue spaces at the lower portions of said heating walls; the recuperatorunits of each of said groups being separately operable for conveying to the said flue spaces in" the heating walls air and another gas; and means 'for supplying to said flue spaces in said heating walls, at the upper portions of said heating walls, an unpreheated combustible gas; substantially as specified.

16. In a coking retort oven, in combination parallel coking chambers; heating walls between said coking chambers and respectively having their interiors fluedfor passage of combustion gases in afgenerally vertical di rection from their upper portions to their lower portions; recuperator units, having inflow passages and outflow passages, below the coking chambers and heating walls; said recu erator units being respectively communica 1y connected in grou s with the flue spaces for passage of com ustion gases in said heating walls by duct means connecting the inflow passages of said groups with the said flue spaces at the upper portions of said heating walls and by duct means connectin the outflow passages of said groups with sai 7 flue spaces at the lower portions of said heating walls; the recuperator units of each of said groups being separately operable for simultaneously preheating both air and fuel gas for the said flue spaces in the heating walls; and means for supplying to said flue spaces in said heating-walls, at the upper portions of said walls; an unpreheated combustible gas; substantially as specified.

17. In a coking retort oven, in combination: a coking chamber; a heating wall contiguous to said coking chamber and having combustion chamber means therein adapted for heatingsaid coking chamber by flow of combustion gases in a generally Vertical direction from one to the other of two opposite upper and lower portions thereofrecuperators, having inflow passages for in ow of combustion media from said recuperators to said combustion chamber means and outflow passages for outflow" of waste gas from said commy hand.

nicably connected in groups with the combustion chamber means by duct means remote from said coking chambers relative to the combustion chamber means; the duct means which leads from said inflow passages of said groups being arranged within the heating walls and porting into the said combustion chamber means at the upper portions of said heating Walls, and the duct means which leads from the combustion chamber means to said outflow passages of said groups porting out ofi said combustion chamber means at the lower portions of said heating Walls; and the recuperator units of each of said groups being separately operable for separately and simultaneously preheating air and another gas.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set JOSEPH VAN ACKEREN.

. bustion chamber means to said recuperators; I

\ combustion chamber means at the upper portion of the heating wall bein arranged withfor separately and simultaneously preheating air and another gas and each communicably connected with the combustion chamber means by duct means remote from said coking chamber relative to the combustion chamber means; the duct means which leads from said inflow passages of each of said recuperators porting into the said combustion chamber means at one of said portions of the heating wall, and the duct means which leads from the combustion chamber means to said outflow assa es of each of said recu erators ortin 1 D out of the combustion chamber means at the other portion of the heating wall; and the duct means which communicates with the in the heatin wall; substantially as specified.

18. .In a co ing retort oven, in combination parallel coking chambers; heating walls between said coklng chambers and respectively ha'ving therein combustion chamber means adapted for heatingsaid coking chambers by flow of combustion gases in a generallyvertical direction from' their upper portions to their lower portions; recuperator units, having inflow passages for inflow of combustion media from said recuperators to said com bustion chamber means and outflow passages for outflow of waste gas from said combustion chamber means to said recuperators, below the coking chambers and heating walls; said recuperator units being respectively commu- 

